Taking Care of Your Mental Health During Ramadan
Ramadan is not only about abstaining from food from dawn to dusk, but it is also about focusing on one's spirituality, restraining extreme emotions, and being mindful of one's behavior toward other people.
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Here are some ways you can take care of your mental health during Ramadan.
How to Take Care of Your Mental Health During Ramadan?
Practice Mindfulness
Mindfulness is about focusing on the present moment and although Ramadan is all about that, it remains a challenge with individuals having to balance their worship, work, and iftar or suhoor preparations.
Nonetheless, Ramadan calls for fasting people to practice mindfulness when it comes to one's spirituality, meaning focusing on acts of worship and understanding the Quran, which can provide individuals respite from their busy minds.
To focus on one's spirituality and acts of worship, one can use a journal to keep track of their spiritual journey during Ramadan.
A journal can also help an individual put down his or her overwhelming thoughts and feelings like a spiritual cleansing, which can help reduce anxiety.
Socialize With Others
Ramadan gives people the perfect opportunity to spend time with their loved ones and their community.
Socializing distracts individuals who are fasting and provides them with a feeling of support during the holy month when they are likely to feel isolated and low-spirited.
On the other hand, over-socializing or committing to too many social engagements during Ramadan can be an energy-drainer, so it is important to set your priorities straight and spend time with the people who are important to you.
Exercise
Many people scale back on physical activity or exercise during Ramadan to avoid overexhaustion during or after fasting hours.
However, exercise does lead to fluctuation of serotonin, endorphins, and stress hormones, which leads to reduced stress and anxiety.
The best time to exercise in Ramadan is an hour or more after your iftar meal and before your suhoor meal.
Also, it is best to stick to low-intensity workouts and avoid exercising for long periods to avoid overexhaustion.
Avoid Burnout
Although countries like the UAE reduce working and school hours during Ramadan to decrease the workload on fasting people, individuals are still likely to suffer from burnout trying to balance their spirituality, work, and Ramadan festivities.
The best solution for burnout is to balance your work-social-spiritual life and prioritize the important stuff, instead of trying to do it all.
Take Care of Your Physical Wellbeing and Your Sleep
A balanced diet and a good night's rest are important for your mental health during Ramadan because these factors provide sufficient energy during fasting, which can help one maintain a better mood throughout the day.
It's also important to keep yourself hydrated during non-fasting hours, which also helps maintain a better mood during fasting hours.
Also, it is advised to avoid overeating during non-fasting hours because that can increase sluggishness and make people frustrated and anxious about not being able to do much.
Try your best to follow these tips to take care of your mental health during Ramadan!